Quality assurance programmes tend to ignore context - which means important elements of teaching and learning are overlooked and universities miss out on a real chance to improve their practices.
Articles on African universities
Displaying 41 - 60 of 70 articles
Kenya’s authorities are trying to deal with declining standards at the country’s public and private universities. This will require a strengthened regulatory framework and hard work from institutions.
If higher education is made “free” for all, the whole society ends up paying more. That’s deeply unjust in already unequal societies, such as those in Africa.
When talking about the role that higher education can play in developing Africa, it’s important not to forget the continuing and crucial role of the continent’s flagship universities.
The way in which one group of South African student protesters has acted and engaged with university managers shows how valuable a feminist approach to protest can be.
Kenya’s universities have become hotbeds of ethnic tension and conflict. This has affected everything from staff appointments to broader institutional governance.
There isn’t a lot of time for recreational reading when you’re running a university. But when year-end holidays roll around, Africa’s vice chancellors can finally read for pleasure.
University protests in South Africa have showed that the countries students are hungry for real change. This desire can be harnessed to create a generation of “citizen scholars”.
The Moroccan state’s case against a leading academic could have far reaching ramifications for academic freedom and research at the country’s universities.
African academics are steeped in European knowledge systems and ways of teaching. There is a galaxy of African scholarship they can draw from to change this - if they’re brave enough.
Many universities in East and West Africa lost their autonomy during the 1980s and 1990s and became handmaidens of the state. What insights can their experiences offer for South Africa?
Ghana’s universities are working hard to bring in more students – including those who can’t afford to study full time and want good quality distance learning options.
African academics and universities have been caught in the predatory journal web. It’s time for the continent’s universities to start taking this threat to their integrity seriously.
Africa needs to develop a new generation of academics to drive the continent’s teaching, learning, research and critical thinking into the future.
Quality higher education is crucial for recovery, peace-building, economic development and stronger governance in post-conflict societies.
There is little value in translating academic texts into “high” or “deep” versions of African languages. Most students read and speak their mother tongues in a far more colloquial fashion.
If we want the Sustainable Development Goals to be more than just big dreams, Africa will need well trained engineers who can put their skills to good use in their own communities.
Higher education can play a key role in pursuing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Collaboration will be crucial.
If memorandums of understanding with international institutions are properly developed and put into action, they can contribute a great deal to African universities’ push for internationalisation.
The news that African universities will soon be ranked has generated a great deal of hype. But the initiative seems likely to be doomed from the start.
Top contributors
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Professor of Higher Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal
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Associate Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor of Research, Foundations & Higher Education, Northern Arizona University
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Associate Professor, School of Education, Aarhus University
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Educator, Researcher, Mentor, Kenya Methodist University
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Researcher, Nelson Mandela University
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Professor, University of Cape Town
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Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Stellenbosch University
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South African Research Chair in Teacher Education; Director of Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE) & Professor of International Education and Development Policy (University of Sussex, UK), Cape Peninsula University of Technology
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Professor in Cultural and Social Analysis, Western Sydney University
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Associate Professor, School of African and Gender Studies, Anthropology and Linguistics, University of Cape Town
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Professor of English Language Teaching and Literacy Development, Rhodes University
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Researcher in TESOL & Literacy, University of Notre Dame Australia
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Distinguished Professor, Stellenbosch University
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Honorary/Visiting Fellow, Lancaster University